1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and a computer program for processing information and, in particular, to an apparatus, a method, and a computer program for precisely removing a commercial (CM) from an entire content that is a mixture of a television program and the commercial.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the replaying of a recorded television program, commercials (CMs) are skipped. Since broadcasting of most of CMs lasts for 15 seconds or 30 seconds, a manual skip method for fast forwarding video for a unit of 15 seconds or 30 seconds is used. Also used is an automatic skip method that automatically fast forwards the video only during a stereophonic broadcasting period in a CM audio mode taking advantage of a difference in audio mode between the CM and a television broadcast program. The CM is different in audio mode from the television program, for example, in bilingual broadcast programs and stereophonic broadcast programs.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-165796 discloses a technique for automatically skipping, cutting, or identifying a CM. In accordance with the disclosed technique, the occurrence of one of a mute period and a scene change, indicating the start position of a CM, is detected, and the end position of the CM is estimated from the occurrence of the one of the mute period and the scene change.